The Opposition United National Congress has described this morning’s vaccination mishap as a reckless move by government which had the potential to become a Covid-19 superspreader, given the large crowds and lack of social distancing.

The Opposition is calling for the incident to become the subject of a police investigation.

“Thousands of people were induced to leave their homes by the Government, who fully well knew that the vast majority would not receive any vaccine at all. The Ministry knew the number of doses it had available. The Government very well knew that the vulnerable would have flocked in mass and congregated, to obtain this life-saving drug,” a UNC statement read on Wednesday.

The Opposition expressed concern over the possibility that the saga could lead to a spike in cases, given the crowds and lack of social distancing.

“Fourteen days from now is 23 June. We must monitor the epidemiological charts and hope that there is not another spike, like what occurred after Easter when Keith Rowley recklessly encouraged Trinidadians to move in mass to Tobago, without PCR testing,”

Commenting on the saga this morning, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh apologized for the mishap, saying he accepts full responsibility for underestimating the demand for vaccines. 

The Minister also announces a new process for walk-in vaccinations, which will now be done in alphabetical order, starting with those bearing surnames from A-E tomorrow.

Minister Deyalsingh also said only people over the age of 60 will now be considered for vaccination without an appointment, to further reduce numbers of people turning up at the 36 designated healthcare centres across the country.